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Pennsboro B&O DepotPennsboro B&O Depot · Photo: Nyttend · Public domain
–Not graded
History · Pennsboro

Pennsboro dates to 1820, and 32% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listings are the Old Stone House and the Pennsboro B&O Depot. Below: 9 old photos and papers, maps from 1905 on, and the census since 1880.

1820founded
2on the National Register
32%homes built before 1940
9old photos & papers
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Pennsboro’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Pennsboro began

When was Pennsboro founded?

1820

Pennsboro dates its founding to 1820 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 1880.

First census: 330 in 18802020 census: 1,054206 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1821.

What stands out about Pennsboro’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Boom and bustPeaked at 1,753 in 1950; 1,054 people lived here in 2020.On the map since 19054 editions of the USGS map, 1905 to 1976. Watch Pennsboro change.Deep rootsEstablished in 1820: 206 years of Pennsboro.Old housesHalf of Pennsboro’s homes were built before 1958.
★ What stands out · People over time

Pennsboro, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001,6001,80018801900192019401960198020002020Peak: 1,753

Peaked at 1,753 in 1950; 1,054 people lived here in 2020.

15 censuses, 1880–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Pennsboro’s Wikipedia page.

On the map

Pennsboro on the map, 1905 to 1976

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Pennsboro. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Pennsboro on the 1905 USGS mapPennsboro on the 1924 USGS mapPennsboro on the 1961 USGS mapPennsboro on the 1976 USGS map1905West Union sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Pennsboro.

Timeline

Pennsboro, 1820 to 1950

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1820
    FoundingPennsboro is established
  3. 1821Post officeThe Pennsboro post office opens
  4. 1880Born hereCharles Poindexter is born here
  5. 1890Born hereOscar Lambert is born here
  6. 1899In the archivePennsboro, West Virginia 1899
  7. 20th century
  8. 1905On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 1909Born hereFloyd Giebell is born here
  10. 1933In the archiveView North, South Front - McGinnis Hotel, 204 Collins Avenue
  11. 1950CensusPopulation peaks at 1,753
The story so far

Pennsboro, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Pennsboro yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Pennsboro is a city in Ritchie County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 1,050 at the 2020 census. The city is located at the junction of U.S. Route 50 and West Virginia Route 74; the North Bend Rail Trail also passes through the city. The town was platted circa 1820 by Charles Penn, and named for him.

Pennsboro was established in 1820. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 1,171 to 1,054 (-10%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

Pennsboro, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1890s to the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1890s4 items
Pennsboro, West Virginia 18991899Pennsboro, West Virginia 1899Pennsboro, West Virginia 18991899Pennsboro, West Virginia 1899Pennsboro, West Virginia 18991899Pennsboro, West Virginia 1899Pennsboro, West Virginia 18991899Pennsboro, West Virginia 1899
1900s–1920snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
1930s4 items
View North, South Front - McGinnis Hotel, 204 Collins Avenue1933View North, South Front - McGinnis Hotel, 204 Collins…View North, South Front - McGinnis Hotel, 204 Collins Avenue1933View North, South Front - McGinnis Hotel, 204 Collins…View Northwest, South Front and East Side - McGinnis Hotel, 204 Collins Avenue1933View Northwest, South Front and East Side - McGinnis …View Southwest, North and East Sides - McGinnis Hotel, 204 Collins Avenue1933View Southwest, North and East Sides - McGinnis Hotel…
1940s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Date unknown1 to date
McGinnis Hotel, 204 Collins AvenueDate?McGinnis Hotel, 204 Collins Avenue
Today2 recent
2017-09-08 18 28 59 View north along West Virginia State Route 74 (Pullman Drive) at U.S. Route 50 (Northwestern Turnpi…20172017-09-08 18 28 59 View north along West Virginia St…WVMap-doton-Pennsboro2004WVMap-doton-Pennsboro
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Pennsboro, West Virginia 1899
Retake this viewPennsboro, West Virginia 1899, 1899

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Pennsboro’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

2 historic places in Pennsboro

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
3
each building in a district counts
first listed
1978
Old Stone House
Old Stone HousePennsboro B&O Depot
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Late Victorian1
Eastlake1
Old Stone HouseBuilding
Pennsboro B&O DepotLate Victorian

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

3 famous people were born in Pennsboro

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Oscar LambertAmerican football and baseball player · b. 1890
F
Floyd GiebellAmerican baseball player · b. 1909
C
Charles PoindexterProfessor at Fisk University · b. 1880
Help out

Finish Pennsboro’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo1 archive item has no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewPennsboro, West Virginia 1899: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Pennsboro’s history

What year was Pennsboro founded?

In 1820, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Pennsboro’s post office opened in 1821, and the census of 1880 counted 330 people here.

What is on the National Register in Pennsboro?

Two places: the Old Stone House (listed 1978) and the Pennsboro B&O Depot (2007).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (10), the Library of Congress (1), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.